A Limited Resource

With a growing urban population and increasing demands on the Biscayne Aquifer, Broward County’s water supplies are limited. Broward County relies almost entirely upon rain-based water supplies – the rain that falls locally and regionally - for meeting water needs. So it’s a good thing we get a lot of rain each year — about 40 inches in the summer and nearly 20 inches in the winter. However, water management in Broward County is about managing extremes.

During the wet season, with torrential and frequent rain events, it’s hard to understand the need to conserve water. But rainfall is unpredictable, and it can stop as suddenly as it starts. Planning ahead for the dry season and periods of drought is the only way we can ensure an adequate water supply is available when we need it most.

There are other water supply options available, like desalination, reverse osmosis, and wastewater reuse, but these water sources tend to be more costly.

And while we will have to look at these alternatives for future water sources, making better use of our existing water supplies makes sense and will help ease future water pangs.

Conserving water is just as important as protecting it from contamination and pollution. Conservation is the most cost-effective and immediate means of reducing Broward County’s urban demands and making more water available for natural systems, drinking, recreation, and commerce. Through water conservation we can improve our water future.

Conserving for the Future

You’ve heard this a million times. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth. Take a shorter shower. Ever since you were in grade school, you have learned about water conservation. But if you haven’t updated your conservation habits since then, you’re probably not doing all you can to save water.

Here in Broward County, each of us has a responsibility to control the amount and manner in which we consume our natural resources. It may not seem like your personal habits could affect future water supplies or the environment, but the cumulative influence of all of our behaviors is tremendous.

When your good practices are combined with those of millions of other people in our region, the impact is great.

Broward County has developed a current and extensive water conservation program, Water Matters, with the goal of substantially reducing water consumption both indoors and outdoors. It’s a shared responsibility and we all need to do our part. Without community-wide participation we will all pay the price — the price of developing new water supplies and providing higher levels of treatment. The cost of water is something we can influence. Water saved today translates into less water we’ll have to produce with expensive alternative technologies in the future.

There are a number of ways that you can save water both inside and outside your home. Some are very simple, and some may take a little more effort on your part. All will positively affect our environment and our water supply.

Real change is mostly a matter of making a commitment to ourselves, our environment, and our future. Every time you use water, think of ways to use less, and pass your ideas on to others. Most of what you can do to conserve water takes little time and effort, and could actually save you money. Water conservation, like energy conservation, should be second nature — just like turning off the lights in an empty room and closing the refrigerator door. The key to water conservation is the way we manage the outdoor environment around our homes and businesses, and in the way we manage the interior of our homes. Click here to see how much water you might be using.